Barbara Walters, soup-shill

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Apparently having decided that separating commercials from programs just doesn’t leave enough time for ads, ABC has simply converted “The View,” a mid-morning talk show hosted by Barbara Walters, into a paid infomercial for Campbell’s soup, according to FAIRNESS AND ACCURACY IN REPORTING.

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“Didn’t we grow up … eating Campbell’s Soup?” Walters asks her colleagues on one of the eight segments sponsored by Campell’s — to a rousing response of “M’m! M’m! Good!” This, evidently, is fulfillment of the producers’ promise to Campbell’s that “hosts would try to weave a soup message into their regular on-air banter.”

New heights of shamelessness? Not for ABC. This is the network, FAIR reminds us, that assigned Leonardo DiCaprio to interview President Clinton about environmental issues, and that featured the Pets.com sock-puppet as a guest on “Good Morning America” shortly after ABC’s parent, Disney, bought a stake in the late, unlamented e-tailer.

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“Lying.” “Disgusting.” “Scum.” “Slime.” “Corrupt.” “Enemy of the people.” Donald Trump has always made clear what he thinks of journalists. And it’s plain now that his administration intends to do everything it can to stop journalists from reporting things they don’t like—which is most things that are true.

No one gets to tell Mother Jones what to publish or not publish, because no one owns our fiercely independent newsroom. But that also means we need to directly raise the resources it takes to keep our journalism alive. There’s only one way for that to happen, and it’s readers like you stepping up. Please help with a donation today if you can—even a few bucks will make a real difference. A monthly gift would be incredible.

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